Results are in for SMN’s Student of the Week
Editor's Note: The Savannah Morning News' Student of the Week initiative seeks to acknowledge the tremendous achievements of all students who are nominated each week. We thank the teachers, principals and counselors for celebrating the efforts of these noteworthy students.
The results are in!
The student who received the most votes in the the Savannah Morning News Student of the Week poll for March 4 - 7 is School of Liberal Studies at Savannah High School's Ralph Taylor!
Taylor will be graduating and pursing his goal of studying music or kinesiology at the post-secondary level. The Honor Graduate and the Bluejacket Marching Band drum major has been accepted into eight colleges and universities and has received multiple scholarships from schools both within and outside of Georgia for his musical talents and leadership, to include a $120,000 scholarship from Hampton University, $38,000 from Bethune Cookman University, $26,000 from Savannah State, and $24,000 from Edward Waters University.
He was selected as a member of the Savannah All-Star Band, District Honor Band, and All-State Band Recipient. He has also participated in other clubs and activities including Cross Country, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), the Historic Preservation Club, and AAU Basketball. He has taken honors, dual enrollment, and advanced placement (AP) classes throughout his high school career.
Here's another look at the two other exceptional students who were nominated this past week:
Avery Nelson, senior, St. Vincent's Academy
Avery Nelson is touted by St. Vincent's Academy leaders as an "impressive student showcasing undeniable prowess in innovation and analytical thinking." Nelson's remarkable ability to solve problems and collaborate effectively with her peers truly distinguishes her. While she excels in coding and algorithm tracing, she also possesses authentic enthusiasm for the concepts covered in Web Design, a class where students are learning how to code their own Webpages in HTML & CSS. Avery is also the president of the student body at St. Vincent's Academy and placed second with her team in the Georgia High
School Association (GHSA) State Swim Championships this year.
JaMaya Bedgood, senior, Savannah Arts Academy
JaMaya Bedgood just organized and held a Savannah Arts Academy (SAA) Senior art exhibition off campus last week. Bedgood is the SAA Visual Arts student council representative. She has won several awards inside and outside of SAA, including 1st place for this year's New Beginning Exhibition. She has worked for over three years giving historic tours at the Davenport House after hearing about the opportunity in her AP US History class. She works in the summertime with a non-profit organization doing arts and crafts and face painting for kids. She received an impressive score of a 4 on her AP 2D portfolio in her junior year. Bedgood plans to go to school for art history and minor in art therapy.
Gabriel Morrison, freshman, Savannah Early College High School
Gabriel Morrison is maintaining a 94 GPA while taking all honors classes. He is the treasurer of his school's Historical Preservation Club. He also made a perfect score (100) on the Biology Georgia Milestone Assessment System (GMAS) End of Course (EOC) exam. He also earned the highest score on the United States History GMAS/EOC.
Hannah Jane Gard, junior, Savannah Christian Preparatory School
Hannah Jane Gard is a leader both in and out of the classroom at Savannah Christian Preparatory School (SCPS). She was named to the High Honor Roll last semester while enrolled in AP, Dual Enrollment, and Honors classes. Gard serves the SCPS community through membership in Service Club, Student Leadership Council, Prom Committee, Best Buds (volunteers with SCPS Lower School), and Holiday Club. She also volunteers at Ronald McDonald House. Additionally, she was inducted into National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society, and she plays on the Raider softball and basketball teams.
Nominate a student for next week
Public and private high school leaders, principals, counselors and teachers are welcome to submit student nominations to studentoftheweek@savannahnow.com.
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